MLB: Ruiz back behind the plate for ailing Phillies

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies decided two minor-league rehabilitation games were enough for Carlos Ruiz to get back behind the plate in the big leagues.

However, the fact that the team’s leading hitter in 2012 was hitting eighth in the order tells you that Charlie Manuel doesn’t think the veteran’s bat is quite ready even if his hamstring has healed.

“That was my thinking – put him down there (in the No. 8 hole) and let him get some at-bats,” Manuel said in a rain-soaked home dugout at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday night. “On nights we have a good (offensive) night he’ll get four at-bats. On nights we aren’t getting runs, he’ll get three, probably. We’ll see where he’s at.”

After missing the first 25 games of the season due to a suspension for testing positive for Adderall, Ruiz struggled offensively in his 16 games before the hamstring injury. He entered Tuesday batting .235 with two doubles and two RBIs in 51 at-bats.

Manuel believes the lack of exposure to big-league pitching – and the over-exposure to raw pitchers in extended spring training during his suspension – might have left Ruiz’s bat well behind pace.

“He stayed in Florida (during the suspension), then when he joined us he had trouble getting going,” Manuel said. “I attribute that to the pitching in the big leagues is better than what he was seeing (in extended spring and on a minor-league assignment). He needed to see major-league pitching. It might be the same thing now when he joins us.”

Ruiz, who had career-highs in nearly every category last season, batting .325 with 16 homers, 68 RBIs and a .935 OPS, insisted the loss of Erik Kratz to knee surgery didn’t expedite his return to action.

“I wanted back because I feel great,” he said. “The one thing that I was told was that you have to be careful with this injury. You have to be careful and make sure that you are ready to go. It has been four weeks and a lot of work, but I feel great. (Monday) I was running around in right field and felt 100 percent.”

Manuel would love nothing more than for the Philis’ lackluster lineup to get a boost from Ruiz’s return. But in the short term he’s happy just to have a veteran presence behind the plate.

“I want him to be a really good catcher for now,” Manuel said. “I want him to throw, block balls and call the games like he always has, and his hitting will be a plus to us. I’m sure he’ll hit enough to hold his own. He’ll get a big hit for you sometimes. But his defense and game-calling means a whole lot to us.”

* * *Manuel tried to wait until Ryan Howard came laboring into the clubhouse Tuesday before writing out his lineup. On one hand, Howard was coming off his best game of the season, as he went 3-for-3 with a second-deck homer to right and a walk. On the other, in addition to the bad left knee he has been enduring for most of the season, Howard fouled a ball off his right leg that had him hobbling around the bases Monday night.

Manuel figured the hot bat trumped the sore legs.

“I was waiting for him to come to the ballpark,” the manager said. “I finally made out my lineup. If he’s hurting, I’ll talk to him when he gets here. I might have to change my lineup.

“I talked to him (Monday) night before the game. He told me his knee was hurting him some. The longer we played, he was on the bases some and he was definitely limping at the end of the game.”

Manuel indicated that some sort of procedure might be in Howard’s future to solve his left knee problem.

“I think there are things when he gets some time off, I hope he can take care of that,” Manuel said. “Going ahead, there are things he can do where he hopefully won’t have so much pain.”

Manuel made a bold prediction on the Phillies’ last road trip that Howard would wind up with 35 homers this season if he could stay on the field – this despite him going 112 at-bats with just one homer before Monday’s blast.

“I think if Ryan Howard plays here on out for the rest of the season, and he gets at-bats … I think he’ll wind up somewhere around 35 homers,” Manuel said. “I think he can get that. I’m usually right on or close. I don’t miss by much. There are a lot of ifs in there – if he can play and get enough at-bats, if he gets 500 or 550 at-bats, I’ll say he’s very capable of hitting 35, especially if he hits .280 or .290.

“That number doesn’t matter. I look at RBIs. If he hit .280 with 125 ribbies, what would you say?”

Of course, to get to 125 RBIs, Howard would need to knock in 89 runs over the final 91 games. (Cooney

NOTESManuel said Chase Utley’s rehab assignment with Double-A Reading was pushed back a day by the heavy rains that caused delays throughout the area. “He was supposed to go out today, but it’s raining. No sense doing that if it’s going to rain,” Manuel said … The Phillies signed first-round pick J.P. Crawford with a $2.3 million bonus. The California shortstop will be at Citizens Bank Park today for a press conference … Steven Lerud was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Ruiz on the roster.